First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice was clear about her anger with Eversource on Monday, seven days into recovery after Tropical Storm Isaias. In her midday update to residents about post-storm cleanup and power restoration response, she used words like, “appalling” and “minimal” and “horrible” to refer to information about the utility’s progress.

She described overnight restoration progress from Sunday to Monday as “minimal.” Vanderslice has been working with Jonathan Harris from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office to get more crews into Wilton, although Eversource reduced the number of crews from Saturday. She’s been in touch with her counterparts in neighboring communities, who also reported “seeing little in terms of crews and restoration.”

“It is appalling that six days in, we are still asking:  What is the plan? Where are the crews?” she wrote, adding, “This is a horrible situation. It is difficult to be patient, so thank you for your patience.”

Vanderslice singled out problems with Eversource’s communication failures:  “Eversource messaging continues to be of little to no value,” and explained that town officials were not provided with a comprehensive list of outages as of Monday. Vanderslice said she was trying to respond to emails from residents detailing outages, and asked anyone with questions or issues to email her rather than tag her on Facebook, where she is not likely to see it.

She also channeled her frustrations into setting up a cooling station for residents who don’t have power for air conditioning or running water. The town now has a cooling station available for residents at the Wilton High School Field House, in addition to the charging station that was opened previously at Comstock.

She hopes that some of the people who have been using the WHS parking lot for WiFi will come inside to work in the Field House’s much cooler environment. “Hopefully people will come down. We want people, if they know someone, someone on your street, someone who is elderly, without power, please reach out to them,” she said.

Vanderslice also reiterated that Wilton town employees are working around the clock to do what they can. As cleanup continues, crews from both Wilton’s DPW and Eversource will return later to deal with debris and old wires and poles. In addition, Optimum and Frontier crews have been seen working in town.

Road Clearing/Power Restoration:

  • As of 10:00 p.m. Monday evening, 1,045 residents had their power restored since Sunday night; 1,746 or 23% still remain without. (That number is unchanged as of Tuesday, 9:15 a.m.)
  • The largest outage cluster is 353 customers on the Nod Hill line. The line runs the length of Nod Hill, Whipstick, Olmstead Hill roads, and along most connecting roads. The line had a number of downed poles. Eversource is showing an ETR of Tuesday, Aug. 11.
  • The two heavily damaged power centers in Weston appear to have been repaired.  Localized issues continue to cause outages along those circuits.
  • The Eversource outage map was down for most of Monday evening but has now been restored.
  • Significant progress was made on clearing blocked roads and shared driveways in Wilton
  • Both DPW and Eversource will return later to deal with debris and old wires and poles.
  • Optimum and Frontier continue to be seen working in town.

Cooling Center:

Wilton High School Field House is now open as a cooling center.  Vanderslice has coordinated with Wilton Social Services director Sarah Heath to open it for anyone who needs refuge from the heat. There are also charging stations available.

“We’re here if someone has a hot home and needs to be here to cool down, if you need a cool place to be,” Heath said. She added that through the post-storm period, she has heard from people who have never accessed social services offerings before.

“I’m thrilled because I want people to know that I’m just another resource, just like every other staff member in town, to be able to reach out to, through email or phone calls, and see what resources there are, see how we’re able to help. Because that’s why I have the job I have–it’s just to help people,” Heath added.

Her department has been working closely with the police and fire departments, as well as with Vanderslice’s office. “When they hear of high-need people, we’re communicating together so we’re getting the word out to Eversource. They send people to me so that I can reach out to them,” Heath said.

  • Hours are 8:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
  • Walk-in or sign up on e-trak for a two-hour time period.  (On e-Trak, click ‘rentals,’ click ‘reservations’).
  • Maximum 50 people; 25 slots per time period reserved for walk-ins.
  • Must be a Wilton resident.
  • Must wear a mask or face covering.
  • Must complete a short form (name, address, phone number, emergency contact name and number).
  • No food can be brought in, water is OK.
  • Tables and chairs are provided.
  • Bathrooms are available, no showers.

Potable Water

Potable water is available at Fire Headquarters 24/7. Distribution from front (non-Town Hall side of the building).

WiFi/Charging at Comstock

  • Open weeknights from 4:30-8:30 p.m.
  • Open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
  • Sign-up via e-Trak or by calling (weekdays) or visiting Comstock if you can’t access e-Trak.
  • Walk-ins are allowed, if space is available.
  • You must wear a mask and complete a contact form.
  • Bring your device and extension cords.
  • Socially distant tables and chairs are provided.
  • Staff will be onsite
  • No bathrooms available

Outdoor WiFi

Back of Town Hall, outside all schools, outside Comstock and the Library. The password for all town and school buildings is Warrior1. No password is required for the Library.